Reviewer: The Hemlock Kid from Santa Clarita, California, USA

What's all the fuss about?
I simply don't understand the fuss being raised over the new edition of Mage. True, I concede that a few things were left out and I fault the publishers for that but the arguements being raised seem to be attacking the line developer as a common theme. The key is to not allow yourself to be tied down by the books. If you don't like something then change it. If you still want masters, then use them. If you don't want the avatar winds to figure into your game, then toss them out. I find it sad that most people had already made up their minds in regards to the new edition before they had even read it. Personally, I think the line is being taken in a good direction. The Adepts are no longer geeks, the Akashics aren't Bruce Lee knock-offs, the whole, silly neo-pagan, omni-Celtic Verbena stereotype has been at least checked. Most impressive of all is the elimination of the masters. Logically, the war is not over no matter what the creators may say. It has simply been put on the back-burner as no one has the collective oomph at the moment to push for victory. The marionettes have no more strings and the race is now about who will have control of their faction when the fighting starts again. Though darker and grittier, the game is now loaded with long-term possibility. You no longer play a simple Traditionalist cog, disreputable solitaire or sullen Hollower but someone who now has a chance of advancement where there was none before. The only catch is that they have to survive.